This is a long one..........

Grab a cuppa and settle in this is a long post.

Well I have to say that I am really a bad person, yes me, I am being truthful. I am bad for not updating my blog, fulfilling obligations to people and not doing near enough art. Where have I been? that is a good question, one that cannot be answered easily. First and foremost I have been quite ill, I was in hospital with Bronchial Phenomia and severe asthma, my breathing up til now has not been the best. To top things off I have also cracked a couple of ribs, "ouch" you say, not wrong, I did it coughing. Well the medication I have been on has not helped me, it gave me the shakes really bad, no artwork. I was fatigued and slept heaps, just had no energy or will to do anything. So a few months have managed to fly on past.

I gave up my day job or should I say my night job, to help get better. Still managed to do some charity work and was strong enough in my mind to delegate and run the show. Yes me, I know, I am a hands on person and I like to get in and get dirty with everyone else too.

Well the charity work had me co-ordinating the purchasing, packing and distribution of about 370 Christmas hampers and many, many toys. Wow was that a lot of hampers...... massive, massive project. I did say I delegated, I had a team of workers that were fantastic. I was also smart and got myself a personal assistant and a nag to stop me from doing stuff that I should not do, she failed day one, but was brilliant from there on.

I created about 90 Christmas Cards for all the Volunteers at the Charity Group as a thank you for all the work they have done for the people in need during the year. This is a task that I have done now for a few years. This year all my friends got one of these cards too. I do have to thank Debbie Bridgeman at Heaven Scent Crafts in Croydon Melbourne Australia for the use of the tree stamp. I created these cards back in June of last year and stamped the light bulb and applied stickles to the bulbs that have all been individually stamped and coloured on each branch. I just love this stamp you can add anything to the tree like candy canes, holly, presents, even nappy pins, the choice is unlimited. As you can see there was a production line happening.






I did have a get together with my best friends and did a little chatting and fiddling with some wire and bits. Total fun, with the girls and a great spirit lifter. We are working our way through a book called Semiprecious Salvage by Stephanie Lee. Mind you we are making a few alterations along the way. I have even managed to do some etching which was something that I had wanted to do for most of last year.




Now with trying to get past Christmas which by the way I did not work through Christmas at all, amazing for me, I usually do work even on Christmas day. Christmas with the family at my house was great, fantastic day, loved it all, every second of it. Shame my guests from overseas couldn't make it, but hopefully in the next few weeks they will arrive and I will do Christmas all over again just for them.

With my health on the up and up, I have started in the last 2 days too plough through some unfinished tasks and outstanding IOU's. House book pages that have been created for 2 people Andrea and Glenda, they are postal as I type. They have been warned not to look at my blog so I have uploaded them. Andrea's theme was "House Quotes" and Glenda was "Chairs in the house", both interesting, to say the least.
























Finally whilst my daughter celebrated her 15th birthday with her friends, taking over the house and having total fun. Hang on a minute, back track there.....OMG my daughter is 15 years old, what does that make me???? careful now. Oh and yes I created a card for her special day.

Anyway, I snuck off into the art room and finished this project. It is hot off the camera, this is also for Glenda and it is an altered fan, she chose 'Perriot' as a theme. This I have to say has been different to create, I have enjoyed the journey.






Well that is it for me for now, sorry it is so long, should of written a book it would of been easier. One of my resolutions is to do more blogging on a regular basis. Oh and another resolution which I adopted last year and I am going to continue with this year is to throw something out everyday. LOL, I just love this challenge.......LOL. Bye for now and thanks for reading my very long update.